Violence in UP polls claims 92 lives across country so far

Ninety-two people have been killed and several dozens were injured in union parishad election-related deadly violence since January. Most of clashes were between supporters of ruling Awami League nominees and those of the party 'rebels.'
During the first phase of the UP polls in June and September, six people were killed. There had been concerns over violence in the second phase as clashes took place in many places in the run-up to the election, leaving at least 18 dead. The election was shunned by the major opposition parties.
In Pirojpur a Jubo League leader, who was shot during a clash ahead of the second phase of union parishad (UP) polls, died at a hospital in the capital on Monday.
Faisal Mahbub Shuvo, General Secretary of Jubo League Pirojpur municipality unit, died while undergoing treatment at Bangladesh Specialised Hospital, said Akhtaruzzaman Manik, the Organizing Secretary of the unit.
Awami League candidate Tofazzal Hossain Mallick Shwapon won the UP election to Shankarpasha on November 11. According to Shwapon's cousin Nazrul Islam Milon Mallick, on November 7, during the polls campaign, rebel candidate Md Nasir Uddin and his supporters clashed with Shwapon's men.
In Madaripur, a 60-year-old man, who was injured in a bomb attack during a clash between two rivals groups ahead of Sidikhan Union Parishad election on Wednesday, died at a hospital in Dhaka on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Alamgir Pada, a supporter of Milon Mia, an independent candidate for the chairman post.
Ishtiak Ashfaq Russel, Officer-in-Charge of Kalkini Police Station, said the clash broke out
between the supporters of Milon Mia and Awami League-backed candidate Chan Mia Shikder.
A chase and counter-chase took place between them and a number of bombs were hurled during the incident.
Alamgir suffered injuries in the attack and was undergoing treatment at hospital in Mohammarpur in Dhaka where he succumbed to his injures on Monday morning, said the OC.

By late Thursday, deadliest violence was in Banshgari, Narsingdi, where at least three men were killed, two of them of bullet wounds. Five others were injured in a clash between the followers of two chairman aspirants.
Two others were killed in polls related violence in Cumilla and one each in Cox's Bazar and Chattogram districts.
Groups used guns and spears to prevent supporters of rivals groups from reaching the polling booths in a village in Narsingdi district. At least 20 other people were injured in the chaos, police said. Another person died in Chattogram amid violence that injured scores of people.
Ahead of the vote this month, at least nine people were killed and hundreds were injured in poll campaign violence. Since January, 85 people have been killed and more than 6,000 injured in election-related violence in the country, according to a Dhaka-based rights group, Ain-o-Salish Kendra.
In Thursday's elections, more than 15 million eligible voters chose representatives for 835 councils after proceedings in some places were suspended over irregularities or violence.
A total of 4,571 councils, known as union parishads that are responsible for local community development and public welfare are being contested in phases. In the first phase in June, elections were held in 204 councils, with 148 candidates from the governing party winning and independents taking the rest.
In Natore, a journalist and an independent chairman candidate were among the nine men injured in clashes in three UPs.
In Bogura, an AL activist was stabbed outside a polling centre at Khanpur UP of Sherpur upazila.
In Satkhira, separate incidents of clashes were reported between the supporters and activists of the rival candidates in Baikari Union of Sadar upazila, which left at least 10 people injured, including the chairman candidate nominated by the ruling Awami League. The police had to intervene to bring the situation under control.